L to R: Matte Darling, Matte Beauty, Matte Flirty, Matte Love,
Matte Fearless, Matte Iconic, Matte Kiss & Matte Luxe
L to R: Matte Darling, Matte Beauty, Matte Flirty, Matte Love,
Matte Fearless, Matte Iconic, Matte Kiss & Matte Luxe
Milani’s Moisture Matte formula is a relatively new edition to their Color Statement range. The lipsticks are all, shocking news here so brace yourselves, matte! The formula is fantastic in that it is somehow fairly creamy, non-drying, highly pigmented and relatively long lasting. They are not what I would call moisturizing, but they do retain kind of a hydrating texture when you press your lips together even after an hour or two of wear. They have a faint vanilla scent and are quite affordable retailing for $5.99 (I only ever find them for $6.79). There were previously 8 permanent shades released, which means there are now 16 shades to choose from!!! And for all of you Vegans out there, the initial 8 shades were vegan so I’m guessing these new 8 colors are as well. I cannot confirm that though. So, that’s the formula in a nutshell. On to the new colors and swatches galore.
L to R: Matte Darling, Matte Beauty, Matte Flirty, Matte Love,
Matte Fearless, Matte Iconic, Matte Kiss & Matte Luxe
I’m going to run through the colors as they appeared in the display, which means we start with what’s probably one of my favorites – Matte Darling! It’s a lovely ever so slightly dusty rosy pink. This one seemed to drag a bit more than the rest, but nothing bad, especially for a matte formula.
Though I knew right away that this was not similar to the prior release of Matte Blissful, I swatched the two next to each other just for reference. Matte Blissful is much cooler and I find it does not flatter my skin tone very well. I think Matte Darling is a bit more neutral and probably friendlier to a wider array of skin tones.
L to R: Matte Darling & Matte Blissful
Top to Bottom: Matte Darling & Matte Blissful
I also found that Matte Darling is quite similar to one of the original Color Statement Lipsticks (not vegan fyi) in Fruit Punch. The main difference seems to be the finish – Fruit Punch has a cream finish. I have swatched the three side by side so you can judge for yourselves.
L to R: Fruit Punch, Matte Darling & Matte Blissful
Top to Bottom: Fruit Punch, Matte Darling & Matte Blissful
Next we have a nude almost terracotta-based brown. It is called Matte Beauty. I never find shades like this to be very flattering on my skin tone, but it definitely doesn’t wash me out. The formula seems to be good – no tugging or sinking into dryness or lines. I forgot a close-up for this one, so apologies.
Again, I compared this to the pre-existing matte brown shade called Matte Naked. Matte Beauty is definitely deeper, warmer and more of an orange-brown.
L to R: Matte Beauty & Matte Naked
Top to Bottom: Matte Beauty & Matte Naked
I also compared these two mattes to the shades Naturally Chic and Rose Femme from the original Color Statement line (again, not vegan). Cream finish aside, I don’t really think any of the colors are terribly close.
L to R: Naturally Chic, Matte Beauty, Matte Naked & Rose Femme
Top to Bottom: Naturally Chic, Matte Beauty, Matte Naked & Rose Femme
Moving right along, we have Matte Flirty, which is a reddish-purple berry. I really love this shade! It may be one of my favorites in fact! No issues with this one either.
I compared Matte Flirty with the Color Statement cream shades Sangria and Cabaret Blend. Sangria is pretty much identical, just a slightly different finish.
L to R: Sangria, Matte Flirty & Cabaret Blend
Top to Bottom: Sangria, Matte Flirty & Cabaret Blend
Sticking to the deep end of the pool, we have Matte Love. This is a beautiful deep brown-based burgundy or wine. Very pretty and also no issues! In the bullet it looks nearly identical to Matte Flirty, but as you can see it is actually quite different.
I compared this one to Cabaret Blend as well and it’s a pretty close match, but not exact.
L to R: Matte Love & Cabaret Blend
Top to Bottom: Matte Love & Cabaret Blend
The deepest and most terrifying shade for me is Matte Fearless. Clearly you have to be fearless to wear it because it is pretty much a deep, deep purple wine. It actually looks lighter in the pictures than I thought it did in person, but maybe it’s a difference in the lighting of my dreary bathroom versus diffused sun. This one also tended to settle into the dryness that had now appeared on my lips and it fell into my lip lines a bit as well. As long as you exfoliate well before applying, I think it will look beautiful on the right person, but I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea! J
Here you can see each of the three deeper shades compared – both in the bullets and on my arm. Very similar in the tubes, but quite varied on the skin.
L to R: Matte Flirty, Matte Love & Matte Fearless
Top to Bottom: Matte Flirty, Matte Love & Matte Fearless
Next we have a classic red appropriately named Matte Iconic. It’s just that – an iconic red. I saw another comparison that showed this next to MAC’s Ruby Woo and they looked pretty much identical in the photo. Since I don’t own any MAC lipsticks because they are not cruelty free, I cannot confirm this but I thought I’d pass the info along. In general, no issues and very pretty!
The next shade I find puzzling because I really do not see a difference from the last shade. This one is called Matte Kiss and it’s just as pretty, but seemingly identical. Maybe just the slightest bit pinker, but I don’t think you can see any difference when applied on the skin or the lips.
For comparisons sake, we have the two side by side.
L to R: Matte Iconic & Matte Kiss
Top to Bottom: Matte Iconic & Matte Kiss
And then compared with the original Color Statement Lipstick in Best Red. I would say all three are virtually identical. Even the finish of Best Red is pretty much the same. Maybe just a touch more shine, but it’s barely there.
L to R: Best Red, Matte Iconic & Matte Kiss
Top to Bottom: Best Red, Matte Iconic & Matte Kiss
Last but not least is Matte Luxe. This is an amazing straight up bright orange. I saw a swatch comparison to MAC’s Morange that looked pretty much identical. The formula is perfect and the color speaks for itself. J
I did find a good dupe in the regular Color Statement line with Sweet Nectar. Again, the finish is a cream so there a bit of shine, but the underlying color is practically identical.
L to R: Matte Luxe & Sweet Nectar
Top to Bottom: Matte Luxe & Sweet Nectar
There we have it! All 8 new shades of the Color Statement Matte Moisture Lipsticks. Overall, I think there’s something for everyone and the formula seems consistently great! My lips actually were not in pain after the whole swatching process, which is a testament to something! (Tip for anyone else doing lip swatches – use coconut oil to remove them. It not only dissolves the lipstick, but it helps keep your lips hydrated through the process.)
L to R: Matte Darling, Matte Beauty, Matte Flirty, Matte Love,
Matte Fearless, Matte Iconic, Matte Kiss & Matte Luxe
I hope you all found this helpful. I had a lot of fun doing this and was actually really shocked to find the display in the first place! I’d be curious to know what shade you’re most interested in picking up, and let me know if you see a difference between Matte Iconic and Matte Kiss! I really want to know why they look identical! J I hope to see you back again on Friday for my June Favorites – I bumped them so I could get this up sooner. As always, thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you soon!!!
